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I don't know if these can be adapted in any way for other brewing
purposes, but here are two temperature controllers that I found quite
interesting; they are used for controlling cooling fans in computers,
including changing the speed of the fans. I found them while searching
for something I could use for my conical cooler; perhaps similar items
can be found via google:

http://tinyurl.com/49dkq -- this one has 4 temperature probes with a
range of 0°C - 90°C ±3% (32°F - 194°F ±3%), and while the current model
has default temps that can't be changed, the newer model which has not
yet been released will be programmable, according to their FAQ page.
Price of the current model is less than forty dollars, plus tax and
shipping.

Here is another brand -- http://tinyurl.com/4uroj -- and this site gives
a lot of detail of everything that is included in the kit, which seems
like a LOT. This one is actually a little cheaper, selling for just
$34.50 plus tax and shipping.

I'd appreciate any comments, and particularly any thoughts about how
this could be used in my cooler, which uses fans to transfer cold air
from an ice compartment into the upper fermentation compartment. These
have multiple thermal sensors which are for controlling different fans
(which means different devices), and this is giving me some ideas. To
begin with, I think it might be possible to shrink wrap and seal one of
them for use inside my conical -- right down in the middle of the wort
-- although I'm not entirely sure of how I would use the data (maybe
that would be the primary sensor for determining whether to run the
fan); a second sensor could measure the air temp in the fermentation
compartment (against the surface of the conical), and also turn on the
fan; a third sensor could monitor the temp in the ice compartment, and
instead of turning on a fan, it could sound an alarm to signify that the
temp has gotten too hot (meaning ice needs replacement); and a fourth
sensor could be a fail-safe to turn on a heater if the temp inside the
fermentation compartment drops to below 32F/1C, since I'd like to
possibly put my cooler in my breezeway in the winter to more easily
chill everything. I'd really like some feedback on this from anyone
with some technical savvy (and I know there are a lot of you here). Thanks.